Promoting self-esteem is ubiquitous in today’s culture. From social media to school classrooms there has been a strong emphasis on the value and worth of the individual. The problem is this value has been bandied-about so much that people have forgotten that the root of our value does not lie in ourselves but in the fact that we are created in the image of God.
Dr. Keith Ablow recently pointed out that all this narcissism leads to problems when those illusions of greatness disappear. He notes that even though many people have become lazier they still rate themselves as exceptional.
We must remember that while humans have value as beings created in God’s image we are still capable of marring that beauty through our selfishness. The most beautiful expression of love is giving all you have for others. Perhaps we should be promoting more greatness through giving and less greatness through gratifying then the next generation could find true fulfillment.
It’s worth taking a look at Dr. Ablow’s article and reading what a secular psychologist has to say about how, if everything one does is “special,” then nothing truly is special at all.